Category: Artis Korea

Top Korean actors Jang Dong-gun and Ko So-young got married in a star-studded wedding ceremony held at Seoul’s Shilla Hotel on May 2, ending months of media frenzy over their 18-year friendship and romance.

The star couple, dubbed Korea’s equivalent of Brangelina, held a photo and Q&A session several hours prior to the ceremony, answering questions by reporters about the wedding and their baby — Ko is four months pregnant.

“Thank you so much for coming,” Jang started off by saying. “We are very grateful and glad for the attention you have shown us, but it was also overwhelming. But today, I feel grateful for everything.”

After Ko mentioned that “the baby is doing fine,” Jang explained that they went to the doctor a few days ago where they were told “the baby is healthy” and added his hopes that “it’s a girl who looks like Ko So-young.”

The couple, who went public with their romantic involvement last November, shared details of their long friendship that first began on the set of 1999 film “Love Wind, Love Song” where the two are said to have become very close very quickly.

About the dating rumors that have been around ever since, Ko said, “I think we both had feelings for each other but we were young back then. And I think we cared about each other so much that we didn’t want to risk our friendship by going out and end up losing a friend if we break up later, so I think we just remained good friends.”

The two reportedly started dating two years ago with Jang popping the question sometime around last fall. Ko said, “[Jang] had mentioned marriage several times but he first proposed last summer, or sometime between summer and fall.”

Jang had explained at his fan meeting in March that he started considering marriage while on shoot for the film “Warrior’s Way,” where he started “looking back upon [his] life and thinking about [his] life as a man, beyond the actor Jang Dong-gun.”

It was then where he “began to develop different emotions toward an old friend” and naturally started feeling that [he] wanted to spend of the rest of [his] life with her.”

The marriage of the country’s two top stars brought out scores of top Korean celebrities to The Shilla hotel who posed for hundreds of fans and cameras nearby.

Korean actor Lee Jun-ki will be pushing back his military entrance date to fulfill his current work commitments, according to his agency JG Company on Monday.

According to an official at JG, Lee had received a notice from Korea’s Military Manpower Administration to enter the army within the year to fulfill his mandatory two-year service.

“But he asked to defer the entrance date because he is currently working on a movie and television series,” the official was quoted as saying. “Entering the military is something that should be and will be done without question, but I think he needs to finish what he has been working on before going [to the military].”

He added that final details regarding the issue will be sorted out sometime early next week.

Lee, 27, became a household name after appearing as a woman-like clown in the 2005 hit film “The King and the Clown” and most recently portrayed a passionate magazine reporter in MBC TV series “Hero”.

The Hallyu star started shooting the film “Grand Prix” with top Korean actress Kim Tae-hee earlier this month and is scheduled to appear in SBS TV’s 24-episode series “Faith” later in the year.

Filmmed in California, the fashionable men vie for the attentions of Kelly, played by newcomer Sarah Sohn.

Apparently, Sohn is also known for her attempts to form a band with Park Ga-hee of After School.

California – High Noon not only features popular actors, but is also driven by “star” filmmakers. Director Lee Joon-hyung (Tokyo, Drizzling) helms the production while Jung Yoon-ki, one of the best stylists in South Korea, styled the actors.

Head marketer of XTM, Ms. Hwang said: “California-High Noon is a movie where the main theme is the actors’ (fashion) brands. The brands are the “lead roles”. This is something new as we try to deliver both brands and (the actors’) fashion to the audience.”

Top Korean actor Jang Dong-gun will be revealing his plans to get married in May during an upcoming fan meeting set for the weekend, according to an entertainment industry source.

The source explained that the parents of the Hallyu star and his actress girlfriend Ko So-young recently met and settled on a date for a wedding in May. Jang is expected to tell fans about the news at his fan meeting on March 6.

Another source said the two stars, making preparations for the marriage, are in the process of closing a deal on their new house in Seoul’s Heukseuk-dong where they will move into immediately after holding their nuptials.

Jang, one of Korea’s top actors who starred in numerous television dramas and movies, made headlines last November after admitting to his two-year romantic relationship with Ko.

The two stars had long sparked dating rumors since they appeared together in 1999 film “Love Wind, Love Song” but it was not until last fall that they officially announced their status as a couple.

The actors were then dogged by wedding rumors which they denied several times saying “there are no detailed plans for a wedding”.

Jang is scheduled to start shooting the Kang Je-gyu pic “My Way” in June after the wedding.

A South Korean court Thursday dismissed a lawsuit claiming almost four million dollars from singer and actor Rain , ruling he was not to blame for cancelled concerts during a troubled US tour.

Local entertainment group Wellmade STARM sued Rain and his agency JYP Entertainment in March last year for 4.57 billion won (3.95 million dollars) in damages.

The group, which financed Rain’s US tour in 2006-2007, claimed he breached a contract with it by failing to perform 16 concerts.

Judge Bae Kwang-Kuk said in his ruling, quoted by Yonhap news agency, that poor preparations by US promoters led to Rain’s aborted concerts.

The ruling came seven months after Rain settled a separate lawsuit over a cancelled concert in Honolulu in 2007.

A US court had ordered him and his agency to pay more than eight million dollars for breaching a contract with Hawaiian promoter Click Entertainment to perform the concert.

An agreement was reached last June to settle the case and avoid an appeal, Details were not disclosed.

Rain argued in the US case that the concert stage was not properly set up for him, and that he was unable to use his name in the United States because of a copyright challenge from a US Beatles tribute band also called Rain.

The 26-year-old singer, whose real name is Jung Ji-Hoon, is one of South Korea’s biggest celebrities and has a big following across Asia.

After vacationing in Hawaii with girlfriend Ko So-young, Hallyu star Jang Dong-gun will be undergoing surgery for his left knee.

Jang has been busy working on director Kang Je-gyu’s new flick D-Day. The 38 year old then took some time off in the New Year with girlfriend of 2 years Ko So-young. The couple reportedly flew to Hawaii for some rest and relax…with their managers and staff in tow. Gee, what kind of holiday is that? :-P

After the surgery, Jang is expected to go for physiotherapy for one week. The actor injured his left knee while filming the 2003 blockbuster Taegukgi.

Jang’s Hollywood debut Warrior’s Way (formerly Laundry Warrior) will be released in the US on April 1.

MBC’s historic drama “Queen Seon Duk”, which aired its final episode on December 22, had the highest viewership ratings for the week of December 21-27th.

According to the reports released by AGB Nielsen Media Research, “Queen Seon Duk” had an average of 34% viewership during its final week of broadcast, making it the most watched show that week on basic cable.

In second place was KBS 2TV’s “Everybody Cha Cha Cha” with 31.2%, while KBS 2TV’s “Three Brothers” followed closely behind with 30.6% viewership.

And in case you are having a hard time letting go of “Queen Seon Duk,” Part 2 of the OST will be released on December 28 and none other than Lee Yo Won, who played the roll of Queen Seon Duk, contributed a track titled “Bidam,” for the album. This will be Lee Yo Won’s first endeavor as a singer. – http://www.allkpop.com

On KBS 2TV ‘Yeoumanman’ on 15, Rain MBLAQ comment on the joke that makes the material. Rookie Group produced this Rain had said on the show Star Golden Bell that they sunbae then avoid them for 3 days because MBLAQ not want to go with Rain for food late at night because they were not hungry and was training. Rain pundung and not even talk to MBLAQ for 3 days. Rain makes the audience laugh for saying, “I think you guys (MBLAQ) was pleased to make people laugh with a joke about me, but I will punish you as soon as I arrived in Seoul. Perhaps your second album will be impossible to complete. Maybe I’ll choose someone other than you. ” He continued the joke with a straight face, “I always told you that eating was the only one who can make me happy, very annoying if you are not supportive of me.” Rain also said, “I hope my next movie could be number one at the box office in 5 years or 1 decade.”

Another upcoming army release! Get ready to welcome back Coffee Prince actor Gong Yoo — while fellow actor Chun Jung-myung was released today, Gong Yoo will be discharged on December 8. Both enlisted at the height of their popularity last year, and the fan love is still going strong as they prepare for the their returns.

Gong Yoo enlisted on January 2, 2008, when he was still riding high from the high praise he received for his role in Coffee Prince. While he’d had lead roles before, that was the one that garnered him a solid reputation as a strong actor. Already he is being targeted with “love calls” (calls of interest for possible projects) for his comeback project from as diverse genres as romantic comedies and thrillers.

As we have seen time and time again, there’s always a high level of interest in the first projects taken on by returning actors. Some jump right back into the fray, while others like Won Bin and Go Soo have taken their time. We’ll have to see if Gong Yoo falls into the former category or the latter.

Model Daul Kim was found dead in Paris this morning, her agents at Next confirm. “She was a top model and a great friend to all of us at Next. Please respect her family’s privacy at this time of sadness. We will all miss her very much,” they said in a statement. The cause of death remains unknown at this time, but a source tells the Cut the 20-year-old committed suicide. She will be missed.